When travel website photos are too good to be true, users call bullshit

September 7, 2010 | In: Uncategorized

Thanks to travel website Oyster.com, where their tagline is " See the Hotel Truth. Book with confidence.", travelers are able to preview actual, undoctored amateur photos of the hotel destinations and see what they are they are really booking.

See more Hotel Photo Fakeouts at Oyster.com

DaddyD

Caveat emptor
Someone

Is it just me that I think that these photos look pretty accurate? I have seen better contrast photos than these.
nibanme

#7 is terribly deceitful. The others seem to be about angles and context (like no customers in the ad shots). In #7 they actually distort the distance.
Gordon of Hesselink

ok #7 is pretty sneaky. otherwise the other ones arent the big difference too (except #6, vegas third class casino buffet like chevy chase vegas vacations)

Kevin

I think this has a lot to do with the lens/camera that's being used. High quality zoom lens will create lens compression which can have this affect when taking pictures. The bigger zoom lens you have the more it brings everything in. I'd say this was shot with a 400 mm lens or so.

osmosisstudios

No. A telephoto compresses the perspective, it doesn't bend fucking physics. That's false advertising. The promo shot shows the capitol as being like a block or two down where as the reality is that it's about a dozen.

I love how they only show the top of the capitol building: there must be one MASSIVE hill if that promo shot were to be believed

king

just goes to show we americans will believe anything

some dude

Screw you.
dave

What makes Americans any different from anyone else? The first picture is taken by an expert from desirable angles with models and special lighting. Anyone who thinks professional photos represent the real thing are naive whatever country they are from.

yuval

that is just stupid.

the ad pictures are the best you can get from this point, the "real" pictures are just the worst you can get – take a picture in the busiest hour, choose the worst angle, make sure everything is in the picture – and even heaven looks like hell.

#6 is the greatest example – sure a gravy on the map look horrible, but it has nothing to do with the hotel, the guests just pickup the food like this.
http://twitter.com/skunksmatt @skunksmatt

Jeez, this is just advertising. When was the last time you saw your Mcdonalds burger look anything remotely like in the adverts?

Hotels gotta get rooms booked somehow

dyfgy

Since when advertising should mean "not true" or "cooked up" or "shopped"? Why would I have to agree to be sold horsecrap?

pval

Since advertising is about selling your product, I'm sure you don't mention your bowel-movements on the first date or do you? You'll just say you've got a delicate stomach, same here, it's all true, albeit from a certain perspective.

dyfgy

now how about getting to the point – it's not a matter of angles, it's a matter of honesty and what the difference is. your example, albeit funny, makes no sense

ROK

ever wonder why that guy sitting next to you in the poolside bar hasnt gotten up to go pee in the last 3 hours? yah thats why.
MiPo_TheGoaT

William Shatner has never done me wrong…..

http://www.thenet.net Amal Seepage

Well, his adoption advice isn't worth a crap. This brown baby I have is horrible. Damn you Shatner!!!!!

REO

You can also visit tripadvisor.com and view guest photos along with actual reviews of the hotels and resorts. Much more coverage than oyster.com which only covers a few popular destinations. Tripadvisor users will sometimes even post a contact email address. We have used this many times to speak with people who have recently been to a location to find out what is really going on.

Sarah

Gotta admit I use Trip advisor too – ok you take peoples comments with a pinch of salt (what narked them may not nark you, they could be super fussy etc)

Place I stayed at in Aus recently, lovely place, website photo's looked totally amazing, Arrived at night and the place looked lovely, poked around the following morning & it looked like the set off Rambo! – still had a good time, but did doubt myself for a few hours! LOL

Rat

Apart from there being less people on the beach on two pictures, the pictures look pretty accurare to me.
rick

This is what needs to be done more often I get tired of the BS dream vacations that end up being similar to a dirty motel
Nola

Number 4 is Ko Olina on the Island of Oahu, Hawaii, beautiful place. The cranes have only be added in the last 8 months. But the semi-private, semi-public lagoons aren't half bad.
Dom

Any of those pics look better than where I am now. That's for damn sure.
http://www.teeznation.com/11230/thechive-when-travel-website-photos-are-too-good-to-be-true-12-photos theCHIVE: When travel website photos are too good to be true (12 photos) – Funny Pics

[...] HERE to see these photos on [...]
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=715321751 Thornaad DarkstormHero Kiim Catapulta

I. KNOW. PHOTOSHOP.
phis

I was actually at 9 and 11. That's in Jamaica. That resort was very cool and I'd love to go there again.
BigDingo

for the most part, these places look not to bad in the real life photos
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100001225731219 HellHath NoFury

2 is ridiculous. It looks the same. You're in a tourist destination, not your own private island. Other people paid to be there as well.

dyfgy

shut up

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100001225731219 HellHath NoFury

Please stop obsessing over me.

jeff

stolen from huffpost.
Sadie

Is #10 for swingers??
Greg

Most of these are just common sense fake outs. Obviously a lot of those areas are going to be jammed packed with people during the season, and everyone knows buffets never look as good in the picture as they do in real life. Only number 7 is the truly deceitful one
Bib

9 is life, always so many bloody people hogging the beach.